2 weeks Ago
A couple said they were appalled when their flight was delayed by more than seven hours because cockroaches were found in their plane. Michelle and David Coates had been on holiday in Tenerife with friends and were hit with the lengthy delay on their way back to Gatwick. Passengers were later told that the 7.
5-hour hold-up was due to cockroaches being found on the plane – but holiday company Tui is refusing to pay any compensation for the delay. A spokeswoman for the airline apologised for the delay but said it was not obliged to pay because the circumstances were exceptional. Michelle, 57, said: “The pilot said before we took off that the delay was because they had discovered cockroaches on the plane.
Read More: Armed police meet Gatwick Tui flight after 'tequila terror' incident “When they made the announcement, I thought: ‘oh my god, how clean are these planes?’. To say that it is exceptional circumstances is ridiculous. They can’t continue to treat customers in this way, it’s appalling.
” David and Michelle Coates, from Steyning, were stranded for 7.5 hours (Image: Michelle Coates) Michelle and David, 62, from Steyning, had been in Tenerife with friends Glen and Julie Mussell from Lancing. They were due to fly back from Gatwick on September 15.
They were initially told that their plane would only be briefly delayed. Then they found out that their flight, scheduled for just after midday, would actually take off after 7pm. The couples were ferried to a nearby hotel by Tui.
They had to buy new swimsuits as they were left in the sweltering Spanish heat and their luggage had been checked in at the airport. Read More: Brighton residents order this item on Deliveroo more than any other UK city Foster parent Michelle said the delays meant they needed to arrange care for their three foster children for an extra night, costing them another £150. Both couples applied for compensation, estimated at about £350 per customer, but were told by Tui that it was not obliged to pay anything.
Julie and Glen Mussell, from Lancing (Image: Michelle Coates) Michelle said they were appealing against the decision. Tui told the couples in an email: "An operating air carrier shall not be obliged to pay compensation in accordance with Article 7, if it can prove that the delay is caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken." A spokeswoman for Tui said: “We’d like to apologise to passengers on TOM4744 who were delayed on their journey.
“Our goal is to ensure our customers have the best possible start [sic] to their holiday and we recognise that this wasn’t the case. “Customers were provided with funds to purchase a drink or snack at the airport during the delay and we’d like to thank them for their patience during this time.”.
